Complete Guide to Kauai Bike Rentals (2024)

Looking for the best places for your Kauai bike rental?

Finding the right Kauai bike rental is dependent on which part of the island you choose to stay and where you want to explore.

We rented bikes in Popui, on the south of the island. But we researched and spoke with cycle shops on the north and east.

So we have all the information for your bike rental in Kauai regardless of what part of the island you are cycling.

So let’s get started.

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Why You Should Bike Kauai

If you read our blog you know that travel = biking. So on our recent, 3 day trip to Kauai, we did what we do, peddled it out

If you have already chosen Kauai then you know you are in for some majestic beauty. As the least developed of the islands, Kauai has so much nature and beauty to offer you. And what better way to see it than on a bike?

But first, let us clarify what kind of bike riding we are talking about. 

Beach Riding Versus Mountain Bike Riding in Kauai

In Kauai, we are talking about small-town, often single speed, beach riding.

You can certainly mountain bike in Kauai and if that is your plan, you should use AllTrails.com to find the best trails.

Places like the Bike Doktor in Hanalei Bay will rent mountain bikes, but fewer shops on this small island rent mountain bikes, which means less stock.

Call in advance if you intend to rent mountain bikes. If you are going to rent cruisers or e-bikes, there are a lot more places that rent those and a lot more stock. 

Hanalei Bike Rentals: Renting On The North Shore

The north shore of Kauai has way fewer places to rent. Pedego, which is a national brand with local dealers, has a location in Hanalei. We rented our bikes from this same company in Poipu.

Pedego does have regular bikes, but they specialize in Kauai electric bike rentals. The cost is the same, $25/hour, for an e-bike or regular bike. So unless you are a purist, you might take this opportunity to try out an ebike. 

As the shop owner at Pedego said to us, “An ebike will make you feel like you are 10 years old again.” And he was right.

In Hanalei, you can also rent from The Bike Doktor. To be completely honest, the Bike Docktor was our first choice for where to rent bikes.

But if you are staying Princeville and hoping to just pick up some bikes and just on the nearest bike path, it probably won’t work out. Let me explain.

Princeville Bike Rental

Princeville is very much a resort area. There is a small shopping area with a grocery store and a restaurant. The area is great for bike riding with multiple bike paths, except…

When we stayed in Princeville, the only place to rent bikes was in Hanalei, which wouldn’t seem like much of a big deal to bike. The two towns are only 3.5 miles apart.

Except there is a huge hill between Hanalei and Princeville.

Even on an electric bike, it is a no-go. The road between the two towns is the main road, a highway in fact, and so it is way too busy for a bike.

However, if you have already booked your place in Princeville, don’t fret.

In the last few years, a new bike shop has opened in Princeville. 808 Bike Rentals in Princeville has come onto the scene and has great reviews. They deliver with helmets or locks.

If you are staying a week and you can’t get back from Princeville, the Bike Doktor will deliver bikes to your lodging in Princeville and pick them up at the end of the week. You need to order them a few weeks in advance.

From Princeville, You won’t be exploring the rest of the North Shore on bikjes, but bikes are still a great mode of transport in and around the area. And Princeville itself has a great walking/biking trail and lots of little hikes down to the beach.

So if you stay in Hanalei, rent at The Bike Docktor, you use your bike as your main mode of transport and voilà, the perfect beach life.

Kapaa Bike Rentals: Rent On The East Shore of Kauai

However, if you are looking for the best place to rent bikes in Kauai, it is the east shore.

The east shore of Kauai is the best place to ride bikes in all of Kauai. Along Kauai’s beautiful Royal Coconut Coast is the Kapaa multi-use path. We love this path especially if you are traveling to Hawaii with kids.

Known asKe Ala Hele Makālae or “the path that goes by coast” the paved Kapaa bike path covers 8 miles in two sections. And is a great place to bike, stroll, or blade.

There are plans to connect the two parts of the paths. But for now, you can either take the path from Lydgate Beach Park to Wailua Beach Park. Or you can jump on the trail in Kapaa and head to Ahihi Point.

The are a couple of great places to rent bikes on the east side.

The first place is Hele on Kauai Bike Rentals. Hele on Kauai is the best East Coast bike rental spot.

The rental show is located at 4-1302 Kuhio Hwy, just steps from the path. This local shop has beach cruisers, e-bikes and mountain bikes. They have both adult and kids bikes.

A second place to rent on the east side is Holoholo Bike Rentals. Holoholo is a family-run rental shop. They have bikes for all ages, including some trailers to rent for little ones that are too small to peddle.

Poipu Bike Rentals: Rent on the South Shore

Another great place to ride is the South Shore. The South Shore is the area we explored by bike so in addition to rental ideas, we have also included best places to ride.

There are several places to rent bikes on the south shore. We had a few hours in the afternoon in Poipu, while our friend was taking a surf lesson: perfect pedal time. We tried to rent bikes from Boss Frog’s Snorkel Rentals and More, but they had no bikes available.

Take note, if you want to ride in Kauai,  make plans in advance. We were in Hawaii in January, so in the middle of their high season, and should have booked our bikes in advance.

However, lucky for us, Pedego had plenty of bikes in stock. We were able to book two bikes for two hours – through their easy online reservation system – and were off.

So if you are looking for Poipu bike rentals, try Pedego Poipu.

The bike shop is located underneath Kalapaki Joe’s, a local restaurant. If you have a car, there is a parking lot in front of the restaurant to park.

Riding in Poipu

With our bike rental, the shop owner gave us a map and some stellar advice for where to ride. I am sure he will do the same for you.

Here is the jist of it–stick to Poipu Road, which runs along the beach and takes you to all the places you want to go. Navigating is easy…well, pretty easy.

After renting the bikes, we took a right out of the parking lot, as directed, and headed to Shipwreck Beach. Well, we thought we were heading to Shipwreck Beach. But we missed our turn. Wait, didn’t I just say it seemed like it was easy? 

Here’s the thing, roads in Kauai are not particularly well marked and when we rode by the turn, we thought it was just the entrance to a resort. And it is.

Shipwreck Beach is in front of the Grand Hyatt. But it is not a private beach and there is a parking lot and clear public access. But alas, this was our first destination.

A few blocks after we missed the turn, we came to a pretty nasty dirt road and realized our error. So be sure to turn here to get to Shipwreck Beach.

Shipwreck Beach

Shipwreck Beach is a local favorite. The surf is strong here so while it is great for surfing, it is not as good for swimming.

If you are a movie buff, you might recognize the cliff at Shipwreck Beach. The cliff was used in “Six Days, Seven Nights” as the place where Harrison Ford and Anne Heche jumped.

Today, you can see people mimicking the jump. But please know, if you choose to abandon your bikes for your chance to relive movie glory, jumping is illegal and pretty dangerous.

Spouting Horn

After our stop at Shipwreck Beach, we got back on Poipu Road and took it to  Lawai Road, which leads you into Spouting Horn National Park. 

The trip is an easy 4.3 miles to Spouting Horn. And when I say “rode,” I really meant enjoyed the speed of the electric bike while the wind blew through our hair. 

There was some up and downs which would be more challenging without the eclectic power assist, but this is still a great route for either an e-bike or regular pedal power.

Spouting Horn is one of the most photographed spots on Kauai. The surf is channeled into lava tubes and erupts through a hole in one of the tubes. A plume of water from Spouting Horn can reach 50 feet in the air. 

It was at Spouting Horn that we also saw another spout: whales in the distance. As we looked past the Horn, we could see two whales breaching and spouting in the distance. Spectacular!

On your way to Spouting Horn, you go right by the McBryde Garden – part of the network of National Tropical Botanical Gardens headquartered in Kauai.

They were closing when we stopped by so we didn’t get a chance to explore. The garden’s notable claim to fame is that it is home to the famous Moreton Bay fig trees that were featured in the movie Jurassic Park.

The Old Sugar Mill of Kōloa

After our time at Spouting Horn, we headed 3.4 miles to the Old Sugar Mill of Kōloa. To reach the Old Sugar Mill, you backtrack from Lawai Road, back to Poipu Road, and then onto Kōloa Road.

The road up to the Old Sugar Mill was the steepest of our journey. But again…. Hooray for the electric power assist. So it was literally “no sweat.” 

You could ride to the Old Sugar Mill on single-speed cruisers, but it would be a workout. Perhaps after all that time on the beach, you are ready for the challenge.

In 1841, the Old Sugar Mill was the site of the first strike by Native workers. Today, you can see the remains of the old mill, and a statue to honor those that labored there. 

After the Old Sugar Mill, our rental time was up. Well almost up.

Our favorite part of the entire bike ride was taking little side streets off Poipu Road that went right up against the beach. So we spent the last 30 minutes, just zipping on the side streets enjoying the amazing view of the ocean and gawking at some of the amazing vacation rentals.

Conclusion: Kauai Bike Rentals

Whether it is a few hours or a full week, you will not go wrong with renting a bike on Kauai.

It was the perfect way to slow down  (okay, not that slow on those electric bikes) and take in the breathtaking views of this rugged and spectacular paradise.

And if a day of biking has you hungry, go to one of Kauai’s wonderful restaurants to finish out your day.

Want to read more about our adventures in Kauai? One of our most popular posts provides step-by-step instructions for kayaking the Wailua River without a guide.

Or if you don’t want to go it alone, we have the best kayak tours on the island of Kauai. Many of the tours include another great Kauai activity, snorkeling so check it out.